Dr. Donald Thomas of HIGP is Director of the Center for the Study of Active Volcanoes (CSAV), located on the UH Hilo campus. The Center was established by the Hawai'i State Legislature in 1989 and is a collaborative program among HIGP, the UH-Hilo Department of Geology, and the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO). CSAV-sponsored programs include the International Training Course in Volcano Hazards Monitoring, offered (in cooperation with HVO and HIGP) to volcano observatory staff worldwide; Field Methods in Volcanology, an advanced undergraduate course; and an ongoing community-based Natural Hazards Outreach program.

Through these efforts, HIGP addresses one of its central objectives to provide the State with technical information and training on natural hazards that occur within Hawai'i. CSAV also facilitates collaborative research with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, under its Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program, as well as international research collaborations through its international volcano hazards training program.